First Kiss
by Desslok
Summary: An ongoing series of vignettes featuring first kisses: shoujo-ai content!!
1. HarukaMichiru

"First Kiss: Haruka and Michiru" by Desslok  
  
-------------------------------  
  
[Author's Note: This may or may not be the first in a   
  
series....]  
  
-------  
  
Haruka waited until Michiru went into the bathroom and then   
  
stepped out onto the balcony. Though they always stayed in the   
  
finest hotels, all the penthouse suites blurred together now. So   
  
much time on the road, hunting, searching, even as they steadily   
  
made their way closer and closer to Tokyo. There was no doubt in   
  
Haruka's mind now that that was the epicenter of whatever was   
  
happening. This was probably the only thing on her mind about   
  
which she felt no doubt.   
  
As the tall blonde leaned out over the balcony, watching the   
  
lights glittering below, a cool breeze brushed against her pale   
  
skin. Normally, she adored the wind, but this night she shivered   
  
and pulled her arms in close to her sides. Talking had never   
  
been her strong suit. She liked to think of herself as a woman   
  
of action, not words. Words confused things. Words could   
  
deceive or distract. Action simply was.   
  
Again, the breeze blew, more insistent this time. Again, Haruka   
  
drew herself in, struggling to avoid the chill in the air.   
  
Running, racing, it was all the same, attempts to seize the wind,   
  
to be the wind. Ever since she was small...  
  
"To run like the wind..." she whispered to the empty night.  
  
"But are you running towards something, or away," a quiet voice   
  
responded. Haruka became suddenly aware of the presence at her   
  
side. She must have been distracted indeed to fail to notice the   
  
sounds of Michiru's approach or her scent on the air.   
  
Haruka continued to stare out into the night. The breeze came   
  
again, stinging her eyes and bringing tears to them. Towards or   
  
away? Nothing she had ever considered. Michiru waited   
  
patiently.  
  
"There is nothing at the end of the road that we travel," Haruka   
  
finally said quietly. "We fight the inevitable doom and likely   
  
can only prevent it with our own lives. You taught me that."   
  
She folded her arms under her chest and hunched down over the   
  
railing.   
  
Michiru sighed sadly, regret flickering unseen in her eyes. "Our   
  
duty is stern and unforgiving, but that does not mean that there   
  
can't be hope. There must always be hope for the future, or else   
  
we have lost before we have truly begun."  
  
Slowly, Haruka turned to face Michiru. She stood in casual   
  
clothes, yet still exuded a refined dignity that Haruka   
  
continually marveled over. Michiru returned her gaze with an   
  
open, expectant look and a soft, wan smile. Though they had not   
  
been fighting together very long, it seemed as though they had   
  
never been anywhere else but side by side. Haruka felt something   
  
twisting inside as she gazed into those placid eyes. No, not   
  
placid. Haruka now discerned a spark there that she had never   
  
let herself see. Her stomach churned once again.   
  
"What do you hope for, Michiru-san?" Haruka asked finally.  
  
Reaching forward carefully, Michiru ran her fingers into Haruka's   
  
short blonde hair. Her eyes captured Haruka's and would not   
  
release them. The spark flared into a bonfire that made Haruka   
  
break out in a sweat.   
  
Michiru took a step closer and whispered, "Toward, not away.   
  
Never again away."   
  
Words ceased. Michiru gently, tugged Haruka's head down. Her   
  
lips felt warm on cool skin, even as Haruka lifted her arms and   
  
wrapped them around Michiru's waist.   
  
Once again, the breeze came, bringing a gentle tingle to exposed   
  
skin, before going on its way...toward Tokyo and the future. 


	2. AmiMakoto

"First Kiss: Ami/Makoto" by Desslok  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
[Author's Note: This story is inspired by my favorite piece of   
  
Ami/Makoto fan art. The art in question can be found at:   
  
http://arcimpulse.shoujoai.com/pages/tukimi.htm ]  
  
-----  
  
Ami stood up slowly, stretching muscles grown sore from sitting   
  
in one position too long.   
  
"Are we done, Ami-chan?" Usagi called out hopefully.  
  
"No, Usagi-chan," Ami replied fondly, "I'm just taking a short   
  
break. You know that we have exams soon and we cannot afford to   
  
fall behind in our studies."  
  
Usagi's plaintive groan was joined by resigned sighs from the   
  
other three senshi. Rei and Mina exchanged unhappy glances and   
  
turned back to their textbooks. Makoto leaned back against the   
  
wall, watching her friend as she gathered up her pink sweater.  
  
"I think I'm going to step outside for a bit. There's a lovely   
  
moon out tonight," Ami announced. "If any of you have any   
  
questions, I'll just be out on the steps."   
  
"Ok, Ami-chan," Usagi replied. "We'll be good!" As soon as Ami   
  
turned around, Usagi cautiously slipped one of Rei's manga out   
  
from under the study table and hid it inside her textbook.   
  
Ami gently slid the door open and stepped out onto the porch.   
  
Indeed, it was a lovely night. The full moon hung in sky,   
  
illuminating the peaceful grounds of the shrine in a warm golden   
  
light. Though there was a bit of an autumn chill in the air, Ami   
  
simply draped her sweater across her back, letting the sleeves   
  
dangle over her shoulders. She sat down and gazed up at the sky.   
  
'She looks so pretty in yellow,' Ami thought. Truly, she had   
  
needed a break, but not from studying. Makoto was becoming   
  
increasingly distracting and Ami had no idea what she should do   
  
about it.   
  
At first, it hadn't been a problem at all. From the very first   
  
time they had met, Ami had been taken aback by the beauty of this   
  
young woman. Tall, strong, with long auburn hair swept back   
  
casually from her gentle face, she was the epitome of everything   
  
Ami thought was beautiful. Ami smiled gently, thinking back to   
  
those days long ago when they'd first met, struggling to fight   
  
Queen Beryl, trying to find a moon princess who was sitting right   
  
in front of them all along, but mostly just learning about each   
  
other and letting the bonds of friendship grow. Simpler days.   
  
With a sigh, Ami recalled when everything had begun to change.   
  
As if sensing her thoughts, the breeze picked up, bringing a   
  
swift chill. After the Arctic Circle, nothing else seemed cold   
  
any more. Watching her die, selflessly, bravely, showing the   
  
rest of them the type of sacrifices that would have to be made to   
  
enable Sailor Moon to win the day, that was when it had begun.   
  
She vanished and Ami's heart shattered. She barely remembered   
  
her own end that day, so numb had she been. Even after they had   
  
been returned, after their memories were restored, Ami would   
  
still awaken in the middle of the night, shivering in a cold   
  
sweat, tears damp on her cheeks, recalling that day.   
  
It was Ami's way to consider things carefully from every angle,   
  
so she had not rushed to examine her feelings. Instead, she had   
  
let the consciousness of them seep into her over time. She could   
  
not pinpoint the exact time when feelings of friendship had   
  
evolved into something more. There was no single event that had   
  
inspired a shift from simple admiration to definite attraction.   
  
It was one thing to know someone was beautiful, but quite another   
  
to feel that beauty in the very core of your being. Such things   
  
happened slowly, over time.   
  
No, Ami could not identify the moment when she'd gone from loving   
  
Makoto as a friend to loving her completely. Watching her die   
  
had simply been the moment when realization had been thrust upon   
  
her. The years since had only seen those feelings grow stronger.   
  
In so many ways, Makoto was her best friend. The two of them   
  
shared so much in common. Neither knew what it was like to have   
  
two loving parents at home. They shared similar insecurities   
  
about themselves, about their place in life. Each at times felt   
  
like an outsider looking in. Even in those areas where they were   
  
different, their differences complemented one another. Ami was   
  
careful and logical, while Makoto was passionate and impulsive.   
  
Each helped balance the other's shortcomings and enhance the   
  
other's strengths. They just fit together.   
  
Ami sighed happily, wondering if perhaps their friends didn't   
  
realize this as well, if only on a subconscious level. After   
  
all, didn't they always leave room so that Ami and Makoto could   
  
sit next to each other when they went out? Ami blushed slightly   
  
at the thought of how forward she had become over recent months.   
  
She wondered if Makoto noticed how she always stood just a little   
  
bit closer to her than was normal, or how she used any excuse   
  
necessary to touch her. Little things, to be sure, but they were   
  
all Ami had.   
  
She had debated talking to Makoto more than once. Part of her   
  
thought that it would just be easier to get these feelings out   
  
into the open, to have done with it. But, Ami enjoyed her secret   
  
flirting, even if no one would else would ever have noticed it as   
  
such. She didn't want to disrupt the relationships between her   
  
and her friends and who could tell what disruptions such an   
  
announcement would cause. Everyone had been so shocked that Ami   
  
had been the first to figure out about Haruka and Michiru, after   
  
all. How much more upset would they be to learn that, like those   
  
two, she also preferred girls?  
  
With another heavy sigh, Ami decided yet again to simply let   
  
things be. The romantic in her almost enjoyed her unrequited   
  
love....  
  
"Can I join you?"  
  
Ami sat up straight, startled by the sudden voice. Turning her   
  
head, she saw Makoto framed in the light of the doorway.   
  
"Please, Mako-chan," Ami murmured, forcing herself to relax.   
  
"It sure is a beautiful night," Makoto pointed out as she sat   
  
down next to Ami on the steps. "I can see why you wanted to come   
  
out here."  
  
Ami nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. She could feel   
  
her heart racing and tried to will it to slow down.   
  
"Looks like you were thinking about something pretty intense,"   
  
Makoto noted. "Anything you want to share?" She turned her head   
  
towards her friend. Ami blushed deeply and dropped her eyes   
  
demurely toward the ground ahead of them.   
  
Makoto's heart caught in her throat. The moonlight glittered on   
  
Ami's hair and shone on her flawless skin. She gave silent   
  
thanks to every martial arts instructor she'd ever had for all   
  
the training in self-control that she'd received over the years.   
  
At moments like these, within arm's reach of her heart's dream,   
  
she needed every scrap of discipline she could muster.   
  
So lost was Makoto in the vision of loveliness before her and her   
  
own tumultuous emotions that she didn't notice that Ami hadn't   
  
responded to her question. Reluctantly, Makoto tore her eyes   
  
from Ami's perfection to the mere splendor of the moon.   
  
"It is a beautiful night, Mako-chan," Ami finally whispered.   
  
"Very romantic." She blushed even more deeply as she realized   
  
what she had just let slip.  
  
Makoto sighed and let her thoughts drift along familiar pathways.   
  
Usually, she only allowed herself such fancies late at night,   
  
alone at home, far from their source. Here, now, sitting so   
  
close to the one who lived in the center of her dreams, she felt   
  
a rush of warmth on her skin. She felt suddenly daring and   
  
reckless, without knowing why. "Romantic is a very good word for   
  
it, Ami-chan. It's the perfect night to talk a stroll with   
  
someone you love."  
  
"Or just to sit and enjoy the evening," Ami added, unable to   
  
believe how brazen she had become.  
  
"Ami-chan?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be in   
  
love?"  
  
Ami swallowed and took a deep breath. She could feel her muscles   
  
quivering, so she placed her right hand flat on the porch to   
  
brace herself. Acting on instinct was something new and   
  
exhilarating, she found. She would not let logic derail her   
  
this night.   
  
"I am in love, Mako-chan," she whispered.   
  
Before Makoto could react, Ami took the final plunge. Looking up   
  
into the moon, she let her thoughts flow freely. Her warm smile   
  
lit up the night as she began to elaborate.  
  
"I am in love with the most wonderful person in the world, Mako-  
  
chan. Someone who is my very best friend and yet so much more.   
  
Someone with whom I have grown, who has taught me about life and   
  
about myself. Someone whose beauty and elegance are breathtaking   
  
as well. Someone who I have fought and died beside."  
  
Until the last sentence, Makoto did not think her heart could   
  
sink any lower. However... fought and died beside? That could   
  
only be one of a small group of people. A miniscule flicker of   
  
hope lingered inside her, flamed by a morbid curiosity if nothing   
  
else. "This person sounds like the luckiest person in the world,   
  
Ami-chan, to be cared for so deeply," she said cautiously.  
  
Ami laughed quietly, "I'm not so sure about that, since she   
  
doesn't even know."  
  
'She?' Makoto's heart raced. Not Urawa, then. Not Mamoru. She   
  
who Ami had fought and died beside? Makoto's odds had just   
  
increased significantly! She became painfully aware of the   
  
proximity of Ami's hand to her own on the porch.   
  
Gathering herself, Makoto reached a decision. She had learned a   
  
great deal over the past few years, but the one lesson that had   
  
come through loud and clear over and over was the power of Love.   
  
Their princess had demonstrated time and again that nothing could   
  
stand in its way. Makoto decided that it was time to take the   
  
plunge.   
  
With a warm smile, she turned her head to face Ami. She could   
  
see the moonlight reflected in her perfect blue eyes as she gazed   
  
off into the sky. Laying her hand gently on top of Ami's, Makoto   
  
said, "I am the luckiest person in the world, Ami-chan, if it is   
  
me who has your heart, because you certainly have mine."  
  
Somehow, Ami remained calm, even as every one of her dreams came   
  
true in that one moment. The warmth of Makoto's hand on her own   
  
spread throughout her body and she understood something at long   
  
last. She'd known all along that Makoto felt the same way about   
  
her. She just hadn't let herself see what had been right in   
  
front of her all along.   
  
"I love you, Kino Makoto," she said firmly, shifting her body so   
  
she could look her beloved in the eye.   
  
Suddenly overcome by the torrent of emotion, Makoto could not   
  
find any words to respond. Tears welled in her eyes and her   
  
smile quivered on her lips. "Oh Ami, I..." she managed to   
  
sputter out.   
  
"Shhh," Ami replied softly. "Everything is going to be fine from   
  
now on." To demonstrate her point, she leaned forward slowly,   
  
raising her free hand to lightly brush the teardrops from   
  
Makoto's cheek. Her lips found Makoto's and pressed tenderly   
  
against them. Makoto brought her arms up and wrapped Ami in a   
  
firm embrace. Neither young woman noticed the sound of the door   
  
sliding shut behind them.  
  
"I told you so," Minako said in a hushed tone to Usagi and Rei as   
  
the three of them returned to their places around the study   
  
table.  
  
"Oh, it was soooo romantic," gushed Usagi, wiping away tears and   
  
blowing her nose noisily into one of Rei's handkerchiefs. "I'm   
  
so happy for them!"  
  
"It's about time," Rei grunted. "They've been mooning over each   
  
other for months now."  
  
  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Usagi declared.   
  
"'Mooning' is just an expression, meatball-head!" Rei retorted   
  
hotly.   
  
"Mina-chan, I think Rei is being mean to me, but I can't prove   
  
it!" Usagi wailed.   
  
Minako only smiled, even as she peeked one last time out the   
  
window. She didn't imagine that Ami and Makoto would be out   
  
there long, but she hoped they made the most of the time.   
  
Turning back to watch Rei and Usagi brawling, she laughed. The   
  
more things changed, the more they stayed the same.   
  
"Omedetou, Ami-chan and Mako-chan," she said quietly. Then, she   
  
got back to work. 


	3. AmiReiPGSM

"First Kiss: Rei/Ami" by Desslok  
  
--------------------------------  
  
[Author's Note: the characters here are inspired by the live-  
  
action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon tv show, not the anime or the   
  
manga. If you haven't given PGSM a chance, please do so. It's   
  
really good!]  
  
--------------------------------  
  
"Oi, what could be keeping Usagi?" Makoto asked for the fifth   
  
time in the last hour. She paced the floor of their secret   
  
hangout anxiously watching the door. The tall brunette turned to   
  
the table where Ami and Rei sat working on their homework   
  
assignments. "Ami-chan, did she say anything to you?"  
  
Ami looked up at Makoto, startled by the sudden, direct question.   
  
Folding her hands over her book, she stammered, "No, Mako-chan,   
  
she did not say anything to me. She had to remain behind to   
  
clean, but that should have been over by now."  
  
Rei grunted in exasperation. "She is not a child. You should not   
  
treat her like one. Maybe she met up with her friend Osaka."   
  
Suddenly, Rei's eyes darted to her left, just in time to see the   
  
look of anxiety and dismay that Ami was already concealing. The   
  
young miko glanced over to Makoto, but she had apparently not   
  
noticed, busy as she was with her pacing.  
  
"I'm sure she'd call us if anything was wrong," Ami offered   
  
suddenly, her voice squeaking slightly. "She probably is with   
  
Osaka-san." Ami's wan, resigned smile did not escape Rei's   
  
notice.   
  
Makoto grunted unhappily and spun a chair around, straddling it   
  
and resting her hands on the back. She glared at Rei for a   
  
moment before jumping to her feet once more. "I'm going to go   
  
look for her," she declared emphatically. Without waiting for a   
  
response from Rei, and without noticing Ami slowly rising to her   
  
feet, Makoto loped up the stairs and out the door. Ami turned   
  
toward Rei and sheepishly returned to her seat. Rei said   
  
nothing.  
  
Turning back to her books, Ami tried to resume studying. After a   
  
few moments, she grew aware of Rei's penetrating stare. Lowering   
  
her head submissively, Ami once again folded her hands in front   
  
of herself and spun slightly toward Rei. "What is it, Rei-chan?"  
  
The silence grew uncomfortable and Ami squirmed in her seat,   
  
waiting in vain for Rei to respond. Tentatively, she lifted her   
  
head to make eye contact. Rei leaned forward, her gaze bearing   
  
down on Ami relentlessly. Again, Ami asked, "What is it, Rei-  
  
chan?"   
  
"Ami-chan, you've been acting a little strange lately," Rei noted   
  
quietly. She did not offer any further analysis.   
  
Ami swallowed, trying to wash away the lump in her throat. "I'm   
  
just concerned about Usagi," she offered. Rei shook her head   
  
curtly and waited.  
  
"I am sorry, Rei-chan," Ami finally said, her gaze dropping back   
  
to the tabletop. "I suppose I am not a very good friend for not   
  
being able to explain."  
  
Sighing inaudibly, Rei reached out and gently took Ami's chin in   
  
her hand, lifting it so that their eyes could meet. Ami flinched   
  
as Rei's fingertips came into contact with her skin, but did not   
  
resist.   
  
"Ami-chan, you are a good friend. You do not have a lot of   
  
experience with friends. Neither do I. Truthfully, neither does   
  
Makoto. But, this is not why you have been so upset lately, is   
  
it?"  
  
Ami tried fruitlessly to twist herself out of Rei's grasp, but   
  
the miko's gentle grip remained firm. Tears began to well up in   
  
the corners of her eyes. "I... I've had very strange   
  
feelings...." she finally admitted. Rei nodded, her countenance   
  
softening as she waited for Ami to continue.  
  
"When Usagi spends time with Osaka-san, I get very angry," Ami   
  
explained. Again, Rei bided her time, willing Ami to continue.   
  
With a resigned sigh, Ami went on. "You explained to me that we   
  
all have a dark side, but I think mine is very dark. I think..."  
  
"It is ok, Ami-chan," Rei murmured soothingly. "We all want to   
  
spend time with our friends, especially Usagi."  
  
Ami shook her head fiercely, shaking Rei's hand loose at last.   
  
"It is not just that, Rei-chan. I have had other bad thoughts.   
  
When Usagi spends time with her other friends, I get upset. When   
  
you and Makoto and Usagi went to the amusement park with Motoki   
  
and his friends, I got very upset. When I see you and Makoto   
  
together, I get upset. I don't understand what is wrong with me.   
  
I feel like..."  
  
Rei watched, pondering, as Ami hid her face behind her hands,   
  
obviously trying to hold back more tears. She considered Ami's   
  
words, in light of her own observations. She also recalled her   
  
own feelings and reactions, when certain truths about her had   
  
come to light. After some consideration, she asked softly, "What   
  
do you feel like at those times, Ami-chan?"  
  
"I feel... like a jealous lover..." Ami croaked in a voice laden   
  
with unshed tears. "I want you all, all to myself." She lifted   
  
her head briefly from her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
Her heart breaking for her friend, Rei leaned forward and brushed   
  
Ami's tears with the backs of her fingers. "Ami-chan," she   
  
whispered, and her words unleashed the torrent of emotion Ami had   
  
been barely able to restrain. With a sound between a sob and a   
  
scream, Ami fell forward into Rei's arms. Rei slid her chair   
  
closer and pulled Ami towards her, gently stroking her hair and   
  
the back of her neck, waiting for the storm to subside.  
  
After awhile, Rei began to talk quietly in Ami's ear. "Ami-chan,   
  
not too long ago, I found myself increasingly agitated. I was   
  
angry or sad all the time and I had no idea why. I was always   
  
angry with all of the other girls at my temple and I was driving   
  
them away, but the more I did, the worse I became. With one hand   
  
I tried to pull them all closer, to cling to them, while with the   
  
other hand, I pushed them away. I finally figured out that the   
  
problem was not with them, but with me."  
  
Ami pulled her damp face away from Rei just enough to speak.   
  
"What was the problem, Rei-chan?" she sputtered.  
  
Rei sighed heavily. "I am not like Usagi, Ami-chan. I do not like   
  
boys the way that she does or that most girls do. I never have.   
  
But, I've also realized that it is not just that." She closed   
  
her eyes and admitted out loud for the first time something she   
  
had only suspected about herself for a few months. "I like girls,   
  
Ami-chan, in the way that most girls like boys." Rei could feel   
  
Ami stiffen, but the young genius did not pull away.   
  
"I was always mad or upset because I did not want to listen to   
  
what my heart was trying to tell me. I didn't like anyone in   
  
particular, but I also convinced myself I liked many of them, but   
  
I did not want to admit that I liked any, and so all of those   
  
emotions swirled around and made me act very strangely. When I   
  
noticed you acting in a similar way, it made me think that maybe,   
  
you had the same problem that I had."  
  
Sitting up suddenly, Ami looked at Rei with fear in her eyes.   
  
"Rei-chan, how did you fix it? How did you make it go away?"  
  
Rei shook her head sadly. "Ami-chan, you cannot 'fix' the way you   
  
feel. You simply must accept who you are. Once you accept the   
  
way you feel, you can move forward with your life and you will   
  
not be so upset without knowing why."  
  
"Is there someone in particular you like, Rei-chan," Ami asked,   
  
trying to divert her thoughts away from her own situation for a   
  
moment.   
  
Thoughts of Makoto pushing her on a cart, her hair flying in air   
  
behind her, came unbidden to Rei's mind. She recalled Usagi   
  
coming to her defense at the temple, preventing the other girls   
  
from her school from hurting her. Finally, she became quite   
  
conscious of Ami's proximity, remembering the sparks she felt   
  
when they would share secret smiles when Usagi would say or do   
  
something outrageous. This time, Rei lowered her eyes, unable to   
  
meet Ami's, as she admitted, "I think I like you all." A moment   
  
passed, then Rei was startled to feel Ami's hand grasping her   
  
chin. Looking up sharply, she saw Ami leaning forward.   
  
"I think we have the same problem, Rei-chan," Ami whispered, her   
  
expression expectant.   
  
Closing her eyes, Rei pressed her head forward, tilting it   
  
slightly. Her lips found Ami's even as her young friend's hands   
  
grasped her own. Rei's heart leapt in her chest and she could   
  
feel the nervous quiver in Ami's fingers, and her own.   
  
Eventually, they parted, each searching the other to make sure   
  
that everything was all right. Seeing their expressions mirrored   
  
on each other, both girls began to giggle.   
  
Ami rested her head on Rei's chest, leaning against her side. "I   
  
don't know what happens now, Rei-chan," she finally admitted.   
  
Rei kissed the top of Ami's head. "Neither do I, Ami-chan, but I   
  
think everything will be better now." Ami nodded and nuzzled Rei   
  
gently before sitting back up and sliding her chair back to its   
  
customary place. The two senshi shared a warm smile as the door   
  
flew open and Usagi breezed in, an irritated Makoto in tow. Ami   
  
and Rei both perked up as their two friends entered the room,   
  
then they noticed each other doing so, and broke out in a fresh   
  
fit of giggles.   
  
Usagi looked questioningly at Makoto, who shrugged, but suddenly   
  
began to feel a spark of emotion inside. She frowned as she   
  
entered the room, not paying attention as Usagi showed Ami and   
  
Rei all the things she had bought. Why in the world would the   
  
sight of Ami and Rei sharing a secret chuckle agitate her so? 


End file.
